TPC Journal V7, Issue 2 - FULL ISSUE

155 Randall M. Moate, Jessica M. Holm, Erin M. West Perceived Helpfulness of Teachers in Clinical Courses Clinical courses are important in the development of students pursuing a master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling (CMHC). Despite the importance of clinical courses, little is known about what CMHC students perceive as being helpful about their teachers of clinical courses. To investigate this, we sought the viewpoints of beginning counselors who were in their first four years of working as licensed counselors post-graduation. Thirty-two beginning-level counselors completed a Q sort that assessed the perceived helpfulness of their teachers of clinical courses in their CMHC master’s degree program. Three different learning preferences—application-oriented learners, intrinsically motivated learners, and affective-oriented learners—were observed among participants in the study. Keywords: clinical courses, beginning counselors, Q sort, learning preferences, learners Counselor educators who teach in clinical mental health counseling (CMHC) master’s degree programs are responsible for preparing counselors-in-training to acquire important content knowledge and develop competent clinical skills (Schwitzer, Gonzalez, & Curl, 2001). Didactic-oriented courses in CMHC curricula (e.g., ethics, diagnosis, cultural diversity, career counseling) tend to emphasize the acquisition of important content knowledge and are often associated with larger class sizes (Sperry, 2012). Clinical courses (e.g., skills, practicum, internship) emphasize development of clinical skills through experiential and applied learning opportunities and are typically associated with smaller class sizes. Although experiential and applied learning can be infused into didactic-oriented courses, they are fundamental to the pedagogy of clinical courses. For students, engagement in clinical courses requires a shift from passive to active learning, with an increased emphasis on putting what they have learned into action (Auxier, Hughes, & Kline, 2003; Skovholt & Ronnestad, 1992). Clinical courses require students to engage in activities such as role plays, case formulizations and skill demonstrations (Young & Hundley, 2013). Although these types of learning experiences tend to be impactful for students (Furr & Carrol, 2003), they can also pose new emotional and cognitive challenges. Students in clinical courses are frequently observed by peers and instructors demonstrating skills, techniques and clinical thinking, which may be anxiety-provoking for students who are unsure of themselves as counselors-in-training. We believe counselor educators encounter different types of pedagogical challenges teaching clinical courses when compared to didactic courses. For example, teachers interact closely with students in clinical courses on account of classroom dynamics that are more up close and personal. Additionally, there is an increased need for teachers to help students overcome emotional (e.g., feeling anxious about being observed by peers during a counseling demonstration) and physical (e.g., difficulty demonstrating a basic skill) challenges that arise through curricula focused on skill development. Further, teachers of clinical courses are challenged to evaluate students and provide feedback based on their direct observation of trainees’ ability to perform basic skills, advanced techniques and clinical-thinking abilities. The Professional Counselor Volume 7, Issue 2, Pages 155–168 http://tpcjournal.nbcc.org © 2017 NBCC, Inc. and Affiliates doi:10.15241/rmm.7.2.155 Randall M. Moate is an Assistant Professor at the University of Texas at Tyler. Jessica M. Holm is an Assistant Professor at the University of Texas at Tyler. Erin M. West is a Lecturer at the University of Texas at Tyler. Correspondence can be addressed to Randall Moate, The Department of Psychology and Counseling, University of Texas at Tyler, 3900 University Blvd., Tyler, TX 75799, rmoate@uttyler.edu.